"We had to overcome mental and physical fatigue," he said. "We're seeing the glass as half full, because in difficult situations we had the resources to adapt and win, but we did not show it from the first minute."

Scariolo revealed that Fernando San Emeterio, who earned the final place over Suarez, had only seperated himself in the final few days.

"The last to leave was Carlos Suarez, and it was a difficult choice," he said. "But there was some drop in his performance in the final few days which might be related to his contract situation.

"But he did very well and confirmed that he is a class player. I believe with another year of experience he will can start a very exciting career with the national team and be ready to assume an important role.

"We felt that Fernando is currently more mature, and managed to integrate himself at a high level."